Talent agent to advertising media buyer
A talent agent already meets 22% of what the advertising media buyer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.2/ 100
1 How much of what an advertising media buyer is expected to do is already part of a talent agent’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the advertising media buyer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An advertising media buyer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a talent agent already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
- identify customer's needs
- manage contracts
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An advertising media buyer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a talent agent background worth leading with.
- already held analyse consumer buying trends information skills
- already held copyright legislation business, administration and law
- already held manage contracts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop professional network communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held identify customer's needs communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the advertising media buyer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn digital media required
- still to learn media planning required
- still to learn types of media required
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- optional, not held media studies optional
- still to learn buy advertising space required
- still to learn negotiate terms with suppliers required
- still to learn present arguments persuasively required
- optional, not held develop online community plan optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- still to learn meet expectations of target audience required
- still to learn study sales levels of products required
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held draw conclusions from market research results optional
- optional, not held evaluate advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held monitor media industry research figures optional
- optional, not held perform media outlets research optional
- optional, not held use analytics for commercial purposes optional
- still to learn manage budgets required
- optional, not held create media plan optional
- optional, not held manage online communications optional
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held create media schedule optional
- optional, not held advertising techniques optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held polling techniques optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an advertising media buyer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 5 skills that carry over
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held analyse consumer buying trends skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held demography optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create media plan optional
- optional, not held develop online community plan optional
- optional, not held manage online communications optional
- optional, not held advertising techniques optional
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held create media schedule optional
- optional, not held demography optional
- optional, not held document interviews optional
- optional, not held draw conclusions from market research results optional
- optional, not held evaluate advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held media studies optional
- optional, not held monitor media industry research figures optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held perform media outlets research optional
- optional, not held polling techniques optional
- optional, not held use analytics for commercial purposes optional
30 held skills the advertising media buyer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- not needed by the target role analyse data about clients skill
- not needed by the target role apply risk management in sports skill
- not needed by the target role arrange bookings skill
- not needed by the target role attend book fairs skill
- not needed by the target role attend performances skill
- not needed by the target role coach clients skill
- not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
- not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure gender equality in the workplace skill
- not needed by the target role entertainment industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial management knowledge
- not needed by the target role help coordinate promotional activities skill
- not needed by the target role identify physical characteristics of performer skill
- not needed by the target role identify talent skill
- not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
- not needed by the target role introduce artist to potential employers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with book publishers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with celebrities skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with sports organisations skill
- not needed by the target role manage sporting career skill
- not needed by the target role organise auditions skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role plan medium to long term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role propose projects to artist skill
- not needed by the target role prospect new customers skill
- not needed by the target role provide career counselling skill
- not needed by the target role read manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role sales promotion techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role support employability of people with disabilities skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn digital media required
- still to learn media planning required
- still to learn types of media required
- optional, not held advertising techniques optional
- optional, not held demography optional
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held media studies optional
- optional, not held polling techniques optional
Other moves recorded from talent agent
Common questions about this move
Can a talent agent become an advertising media buyer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A talent agent already covers 22% of what an advertising media buyer is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the advertising media buyer role treats as required.
What skills does a talent agent need to become an advertising media buyer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by arts and humanities. The single most important is buy advertising space.
How hard is the move from talent agent to advertising media buyer?
Its learning distance is 71.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.